My idea of wellness is hot water, saunas, steam baths and lazy days. You won’t find anything about food or medicine around here but plenty of spas.
This first thing is a bonus fact: the reason Budapest has so many thermal baths is only in part due to around a hundred atural mineral-rich hot springs. The main reason is that during the 150-ish years Budapest – or rather Buda, the city on the west bank of the Danube – was under occupation … More 8 things you need to know about Budapest thermal baths
Perhaps this should be a post about all the cosy things you can do in autumn in London – kicking red-gold leaves, PSLs in old-fashioned pubs with open fires, where to buy brown and orange knitwear or hand-made candles… but that’s not what autumn in the UK looks like. Autumn in London is grey and … More 3 days in London in October
I was very excited about this – I was going for a sauna on a beach! There are now hundreds of small semi-rustic saunas on beaches and in woodlands around the country but Studland Sauna Hut was the first one I ever noticed. Back then, you either had to book it for a largeish group … More A Daycation at… Studland Beach
I feel like an elegant, sophisticated lady. This is an unusual sensation for me, someone who was once described as sounding “…populaire” (Swiss French for “urchin”) next to my “Princess Diana” triplet. But there’s something about Monart Spa that feels expensive and graceful and perfect. I had a voucher to celebrate “more than five years” … More Monart Spa, Poundbury: a review
This is an idea I had six or eight months ago but I didn’t have time to do it in the autumn or winter but today, at last, come and join me for my no-cruise cruise! I’m not a cruise person. I never will be. First, emetophobes and long boat journeys don’t mix. Second, I’d … More Come with me on a no-cruise cruise!
Going to Tbilisi and not taking an hour or so for a sulphur bath is like going to Iceland and avoiding the Blue Lagoon or going to Paris and covering your eyes whenever the Eiffel Tower comes into view. The sulphur baths are a Tbilisi tradition. More than that, they’re the reason the city exists! … More What happens at a private Tbilisi sulphur bath?
Welcome to something of a sneak peek at a new series for 2024, in which I look at everywhere I’ve been and fill in the gaps, the places and experiences I just haven’t written about for various reasons. There are at least five stories missing from Helsinki back in May so those are definitely coming … More Nauthólsvík: Iceland’s warm geothermal beach
Right now, the Blue Lagoon is closed because massive tectonic activity only a couple of miles away is threatening an eruption that could pour lava into its blue waters within minutes of breaking through. Initially, it was just for seven days, and due to reopen on Thursday. Bearing in mind the beyond-massive activity on Friday … More Which is the best geothermal lagoon to visit in Iceland while the Blue Lagoon is closed?
I think this is finally the last “what I did in Iceland this summer” post. It’s actually the first thing I did – first after I’d driven three hours to Þingvellir, camped on a chilly cloudy night and dealt with tyres with low pressure. I’d detoured off the Ring Road because I liked the idea … More A morning at Guðlaug Baths
Another hot pool post! This one, though, isn’t an overpriced tourist experience, designed from the ground up to be luxurious and expensive and special. This is Seljavallalaug, Iceland’s oldest swimming pool, hidden in the mountains at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull. According to the documentary film Swimming Pool Stories, Seljavallalaug’s relatively remote location is mostly because … More Finding Seljavallalaug
I Am A Polar Bear 